US 6,170,414 B2Granted

Quilting machine with adjustable presser plate and method of operating the quilting machine

AssigneeL&P Property Management Company

InventorsJeff Kaetterhenry, Glenn Leavis, Michael James, James Bondanza, Richard N. Codos

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Abstract

A quilting apparatus is provided with a computer controlled presser plate adjusting mechanism. A presser plate rocker shaft is separate from and mechanically connected to a needle rocker shaft and imparts a reciprocating motion to the presser plate. The presser plate rocker shaft is adjustable to vary the range of its output link to the presser plate, thereby changing the endpoints of its reciprocating path of travel. Certain embodiments have an output end of the presser plate rocker shaft adjustable relative to the input end through a coupling to different angular positions relative to an input end in order to change the upper and lower ends of the range of reciprocation of the pressure plate relative to the needle plate. Alternatively, the length of a link between the needle and pressure plate rocker shafts is variable to make the presser plate adjustment. A motor or other actuator changes the coupling or link in response to a signal from a quilting machine controller, which can be made instantly, either manually by an operator at a controller interface terminal, by a batch mode program run by the controller to set the machine to the parameters required by products on a product schedule, or automatically in response to measurements from sensors that are interpreted by the controller in determining optimal pressure plate setting.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A quilting apparatus comprising:

a needle plate for supporting a fabric to be quilted;
a presser plate parallel to the needle plate and moveably mounted to reciprocate during each of a plurality of stitching cycles, between a material clamping position spaced from and relatively proximate to the needle plate and a material releasing position spaced from and relatively remote from the needle plate;
a ganged needle array located opposite the presser plate from the needle plate having thereon a plurality of needles each positioned to pass through aligned arrays of holes in the pressure plate and needle plate to stitch material clamped between the needle plate and the pressure plate when the pressure plate is in its clamping position;
a needle rocker shaft linked to the needle array and mounted to oscillate through angular displacements to impart reciprocating motion to the needles of the array;
a presser plate rocker shaft linked to the presser plate and mounted to oscillate through angular displacements to impart reciprocating motion to the presser plate in response to the angular displacements of the needle rocker shaft;
a drive motor having an output connected to the needle rocker shaft to drive the needles of the array in their reciprocating motion and to thereby drive the presser plate in its reciprocating motion;
an adjustable element connected in series with the presser plate rocker shaft between the needle rocker shaft and the presser plate whereby the range of the reciprocating motion of the presser plate can be adjusted;
an adjustment motor having an output connected to the adjustable element;
and
a controller having a control signal output connected to the adjustment motor to control the motor to move the adjustable element to thereby adjust the range of the reciprocating motion of the presser plate.

7 more elements

A quilting apparatus comprising:

a needle plate for supporting a fabric to be quilted;
a presser plate parallel to the needle plate and moveably mounted to reciprocate, during each of a plurality of stitching cycles of the apparatus, between a material clamping position spaced from and relatively proximate to the needle plate and a material releasing position spaced from and relatively remote from the needle plate;
a drive motor for driving the apparatus through the plurality of cycles;
a presser plate drive linkage connecting the presser plate to an output of the drive motor;
the linkage having a variable element therein moveable to and from each of a plurality of settings to thereby vary the spacing between the needle plate and the presser plate when in its material clamping position;
an actuator having an output connected to the variable element and operable in response to a control signal to selectively move the element to and from each of the settings;
and
a controller operable to send the control signal to the actuator to change a presser plate setting.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.